Hyperbolic Crochet

Some of you may have heard of Hyperbolic crochet before. 

I became aware of it in 2008 when an exhibition of crocheted shapes made to resemble a coral reef were exhibited at the Haywood Gallery, London UK, where I was living at the time. The project, organised by the Los Angeles-based Institute for Figuring was a direct response to the plight of coral reef from pollution and global warming.

Hyperbolic plane where the repeat is increasing into every 5th stitch

Hyperbolic crochet is a pattern where one simply increases stitches at a regular rate in every row. The more often you increase, the more quickly the model will ruffle up. It is a pattern that replicates the geometry found in nature, such as the anatomical frills sea slugs and kelp. 

Double hyperbolic plane where the increase is one in every two stitches

 In 1997 Cornell University mathematician Daina Taimina finally worked out how to make a physical model of hyperbolic space that allows us to feel, and to tactilely explore, the properties of this unique geometry. The method she used was crochet.

Seed-pod model 

Recently it has been proposed that the shape of our universe is hyperbolic as well. 

Pseudosphere. Crochet in the round at the increase of one in every three stitches

As many of you know, my recent investigations and concepts in art focus on the Pioneer or Settler. And my interest in lichen was piqued when I undertook a residency at Hill End in 2013 and observed many different varieties growing around the area. I photographed them extensively and recorded a few here. 

My current thinking about this is that lichen can be seen as a metaphor for early settlers and pioneers. Indeed, it is even considered a pioneer plant itself.

So I am currently exploring ways of recreating lichen using various techniques. The hyperbolic plane crochet technique lends itself well to the idea, and I have undertaken some experiments using wool. My next step is to see what happens when they are immersed in a ceramic slip, or recreated using wire instead of wool.

If you would like to try making your own hyperbolic crochet forms, the pattern can be downloaded here.

The Exhibition: Landscapes Ladies & Literature

Here are some images from my solo exhibition Landscapes Ladies & Literature at the Barometer Gallery in Paddington, Sydney.

It was a fabulous gallery space, with lots of natural light through two huge windows that faced onto the streets and high ceilings. The gallery was on the corner of two streets and had great street presence. 

Many people dropped in after driving past and seeing the artwork on the walls!

'Adrift in a Foreign Land' - created in Halifax, Nova Scotia

The exhibition displayed the work created on the two residencies I undertook this year: the old gold mining town of Hill End in June, and Halifax Nova Scotia in July and August 2013. All the work created was inspired by pioneering ladies in both countries.

Images inspired by Hill End onto cast porcelain bottles

If you would like to see some more images of the works created in both residencies visit my website, www.kateward.com.au 

Barometer Gallery was just around the corner from Five Ways, a well known area where five roads meet. This place has such a lovely village vibe, and reminded me a little of London. 

Great food, pubs and restaurants lined the streets. And the Jacaranda trees were in bloom. Quite delightful, creating lilac vistas and carpeting streets with purple blossoms!

And I was most taken by the Thomas Dux Grocer, a store that had a delightful assortment of delectable gourmet delights, and turns out to be an upmarket Woolworths supermarket (and much more enjoyable to shop in!)

I shopped daily at Sonoma bakery, which had a delicious assortment of sourdough breads. 

And I found the most wonderful cafe ever called Tiger Mottle. It made the best coffee and had such a great vibe.... if you are in the area I recommend checking all these places out.

Its such fun! 

My top 7 foodie spots to visit in London

I spent a number of years living and working in London. I caught up with a friend recently who was planning a trip to London and she asked me for a list of my favourite places to visit. Funnily enough most of my favourite places were food related! Anyhow, I thought I would share the list with you too

http://www.travelsignposts.com/London/eating-drinking/eating-out-st-christophers-pl

1.St Christophers place
A little lane off Oxford Street connects you to this delightful stretch of cafes and interesting stores. There is a Godeva (amazing chocolate) store along here which is definitely worthwhile checking out. They
make the best chocolate.

http://www.christopherfowler.co.uk/blog/2011/03/06/london-gems-broadway-market/

2. Broadway Market markets
This place is probably my best discovery of London. Although tucked away in the East End and a little bit of a trek to get to - it is well worth it. One of the more artistic yet gentrified areas of the east end there is a market which is less mainstream than spitalfields and the road is lined with interesting shops and cafes and bars. Its very arty. Love it. 

http://thisthatandtother.wordpress.com/category/places-to-drink/

3.Candid Arts Coffee Shop
My favourite cofee shop in london. Its tucked away above a gallery just behind Angel tube.
It is very shabby with a little bit of chic, dark and cosy and brilliant to be tucked away on a grey london day. Also around Angel on the weekend are wonderful 2nd hand / antique markets.

http://www.flat-a-porter.com/2009/06/15/la-fromageriela-fromagerie/

4. the cheese shop in marlebone high street - La Fromagerie
This little hole in the wall is full of great cheeses - and even if cheese isnt your passion it has a great cafe where everyone squeezes onto a long table and enjoys the rustic atmosphere. A definite must to check out. Next door is the Ginger Pig Butcher which sells organic meat and has great pies.

5. OpenTable.co.uk
Great deals for cheap eats in London
This was my favourite website in london as you can join for free and get the most amazing deals at restaurants around london. Through this site we found a 15 pound curry meal deal in Islington. Delish!

http://london.randomness.org.uk/wiki.cgi?Hi_Sushi%2C_W1D_5LN

6. 15 pounds all you can eat sushi in Soho - Hi Sushi
This place has the most amazing value for sushi. we used to eat here often and it was always good. If you go for dinner, make sure you book as it is small and fills up quickly.

http://www.meemalee.com/2010/02/fry-up-at-smiths-of-smithfield.html

7. Smiths on Smithsfield

This place is very trendy and has delicious food and drinks. This area of London is the 'new' arty/trendy area and is worth an explore. There are lots of design offices and my favourite nightclub was in this area.

I hope you have enjoyed my virtual tour of London. Thinking about it, there are a few more places I havent mentioned, so Ill save that for a part 2.

 For those who have been, what is your favourite place in London?  

Kx

Modern Tree (Hope)

How delightful!

The Canberra Weekly Magazine has published an image of my Modern Tree (Hope) as part of an article on the Footprints Exhibition I am currently in at the Belconnen Arts Centre.

The show opened last Friday evening and it is definitely worth a visit.

The exhibition is on until 19 June 2011.

Footprints Exhibition

I was selected to participate in the Footprints exhibition by a selection panel which consisted of representatives from the ANU School of Art and the Belconnen Arts Centre.

The exhibition explores the impact of cultural, spiritual, environmental and economic footprints which we as a society and as individuals are leaving on our environment. The selected artists explore how the impact of environmental and social changes have affected and altered their artistic visions and practices.

Artists were asked to consider and respond to the theme of the impact of cultural, spiritual, environmental and economic footprints being left on our environment.

My submission was inspired by my experiences living in London. Often, in council estates were high density housing, (the term concrete jungle is apt!), there would be planted a token tree. Despite all odds, the tree would be flourishing and continuing to grow - even though water to its roots was hampered by the concrete paving, and it was surrounded on all sides by closely built dwellings. It shows that trees, and plants, are resilient and can grow despite all odds - offering hope and life to those around us.

Another memory I have from the same area is an image of a tree in the middle of winter. Its limbs were bare, yet caught in the branches were plastic bags, fluttering like jewels on the breeze against a clear blue sky (most unusual for London winters!) I captured this image on my iphone, but unfortunately it was lost in my relocation back to Australia.

My work created for this exhibition utilises a found piece of bark, embroidered with recycled plastic bags from Sainsbury's supermarket. From a distance, the orange plastic bag seems to merge with the bark - reminding me a little of lichen.

Footprints opens Friday 2 June at 6pm at the Belconnen Arts Centre.

Designs for Repeat Repeat Exhibition

I have been invited by Megalo Print Studio to be part of Repeat Repeat, an exhibition of screen printed fabric lengths in June 2011.

This is a fantastic opportunity for me to explore some ideas which have been floating around for some time - as well as creating some fabrics for my house.

Idea # 1 is a continuation of an idea which was originally exhibited as a water colour in London - enlarged knitting.

I am particularly interested in the patterns which occur in the negative spaces....

So I started printing using different hues of blue and green. It started to remind me of the zillij mosaics found in Morocco.

Not convinced about the blues, I then tried a bold single colour....

Fun! I can imagine Red Knit as curtains - now I want to print this design in lots of bold colours: pink, orange, green ....... and imagine it as the upholstery for chair - groovy! I've found an old chair which would be perfect for this.... stay tuned to see the next installment

x

Reflections: beauty in every day moments

Whilst rummaging through a stack of DVD's looking for a particular image I found one with a whole lot of piccies taken with my phone whilst in London. They made me happy and I wanted to share the love with you....

There were a few recurring themes in my phone photos: reflections; lamps; and food!

I think this demonstrates you really need to carry a camera with you everywhere to capture the beauty in every day moments.......